A funeral helps to confirm the reality and finality of death. It provides a climate for mourning and the expression of grief; allows the sorrows of one to become the sorrows of many, and is one of the few times that love is given and not expected in return. The funeral is a vehicle for the community to pay its respects and encourages the affirmation of religious faith. It is a declaration that a life has been lived as well as a sociological statement that a death has occurred.

Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body. Funeral directors are listeners, advisers and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support groups at the funeral home or in the community.

In many instances, viewing is just one part of cultural and ethnic traditions. Grief specialists believe that viewing of a loved one actually aids in the grief process by helping bereaved survivors recognize the reality of death. Viewing is also encouraged for children, as long as the circumstances are explained appropriately and is done voluntarily. It is completely acceptable for a child to not want to attend a viewing.

Embalming is a surgical procedure that provides disinfection, preservation, and restoration of the deceased to bring them to a more pleasant form and color. Embalming makes it possible for your family to arrange for the funeral service that is most fitting for your loved one, as well as accommodating your family so that they can make plans to attend the service.

No. Some states may require embalming to be performed when the death was caused by a reportable contagious disease, when the remains are to be transported from one state to another by means of a common carrier, or if services are delayed by more than an allotted number of hours. Our knowledgeable licensed funeral directors will assist you in determining whether or not embalming will be required for the services you request.

There is no state or local law that requires the use of a burial vault. However, most cemeteries require the casket to be placed in a protective outer container suitable to keep the grave stable. Years ago graves were dug by hand. Today heavy earth moving equipment is used. That equipment may travel on top of many graves to reach the specific location. Vaults and concrete grave liners provide adequate strength to keep the earth from sinking. Earth burial is often the selected by those who choose the cremation process. As is the case with a casket, the urn or urn vault is buried on the family grave site.

Yes. We are in constant contact with all of our local veterans groups. With their help, we arrange to accord military honors such as honor guard, flag services, firing squad and Taps. At Hastings Funeral Home, we take great pride in honoring our fallen heroes with these services for their service to our nation.

During difficult times, such as the loss of an infant, it is important for us all to remember that life, no matter how brief, is precious. Our funeral home offers the same comprehensive services to the families of infants, as well as adults. This may include a funeral service that could include embalming, viewing or visitation, a casket selection and burial or entombment. We also perform cremation services for infants. As with adults, choices for these services range from a direct cremation with no services or a memorial service to be held in our funeral home or another facility, to a traditional funeral service with the embalmed body present, a casket selection and cremation to follow the visitation or funeral service.

Cremation is an alternative mode of disposition to earth burial. It is simply the process of reducing the body to bone fragments through the application of intense heat for three to four hours in a cremation furnace. When selected as a substitute for a traditional funeral followed by earth burial, the cost will be considerably less.

Today, however, most cremation families choose from a variety of opportunities that provide for meaningful services for the benefit of family and friends – both before, and after, cremation takes place. www.cremation-options.com

Among those options are: A gathering of family and friends with the body present followed by a funeral before going to the crematory, a gathering of family and friends without the body present followed by a funeral, or a Memorial Service of remembrance at the funeral home or place of worship.

Hastings Funeral Home maintains the Omega Crematory on the Kingwood Pike. Many families choosing cremation choose Hastings because they realize it eliminates the need to transport the deceased to another facility.

Yes. Cremation is just one step in the process of final disposition. Many families today are choosing to have services that include embalming, a casket selection, visitation or viewing, and a funeral service either in our funeral home or another facility followed by cremation.

The purchase of merchandise items depends on the type of cremation services that are selected.

If there is to be no embalming or public viewing, a casket selection is not necessary. However, our crematory requires the use of a combustible, leak-proof container so that we may handle your loved one with dignity. We sell these containers at our funeral home, or one may be provided by your family.

In cases where embalming, visitation or viewing and a funeral service followed by cremation are chosen, the selection of a combustible cremation casket will need to be made. Our funeral home offers several choices of these caskets.

Other than the family, there are veteran, union, and other organizational benefits to help pay for funerals, including, in certain instances, a death payment from Social Security of $255.00. In some states, public aid allowances are available from the state, county, city or a combination. Our funeral directors are well versed and knowledgeable of these benefits, and know how to obtain any available assistance.

Our staff is always available to assist you - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our funeral home responds to a call for service as quickly as possible. However, if the family wishes to spend a short time with the deceased to say good bye, it's completely acceptable. We will come to the place of death when the time is right.

Yes. Our funeral home responds to a call for service as quickly as possible. If the family wishes to spend a short time with the deceased to say good bye, it's acceptable. We will come when your time is right.

Yes. We will assist you with all of the legalities regarding out-of-state arrangements. Whether transferring the remains to another state or from another state, we suggest that you contact our funeral home first, so that we may contact one of our representatives in that area to assist us in securing the necessary legalities to return your loved one home. We may be able to save you unnecessary charges from another funeral home in the state where the death has occurred.